What to Do If I Become the Villain’s Daughter - Chapter 54
Huo Xiaozheng, far away in a foreign country, saw the young girl’s smiling eyes through the screen and couldn’t help but smile himself.
“Did you have fun going out with your brother today?”
Huo Guining nodded emphatically, “Very much!”
The atmosphere of youthful energy, the joy of physical activity, and Huo Yueze’s companionship all made her extremely happy.
It was the first time Huo Xiaozheng had heard her describe her mood as “very happy.”
Huo Xiaozheng, who had been feeling a bit down because she wasn’t by his side, now sincerely thanked his eldest nephew for his silent dedication.
“But, no more lying next time,” Huo Xiaozheng said, feigning sternness.
Huo Guining naturally nodded in agreement without hesitation.
“Dad, are you still busy?” Huo Guining noticed he had a small desk lamp on.
“No, I’m about to get up,” Huo Xiaozheng explained. “There’s a time difference between here and home.”
Huo Guining had forgotten about that.
“You should go to bed,” he said.
Huo Guining nodded, said goodnight, and promptly ended the video call.
On the other end of the line, Huo Xiaozheng felt a bit lost.
Huo Guining slept until 7:30 the next morning.
She got dressed and washed up on her own, then heard noises from the kitchen. She grabbed her hairbrush and went to find Zuo Qinfang.
The person in the kitchen wasn’t Zuo Qinfang.
It was Huo Yanqin making breakfast.
“Ning Ning, you’re up. Are you hungry?” Huo Yanqin asked, deliberately softening his voice.
Huo Guining nodded.
“Uncle, where’s Aunt?”
Huo Yanqin felt the same heartache Huo Xiaozheng had experienced. Noticing the brush in her hand, he crouched down and asked:
“Aunt is washing up. Did you want her to brush your hair?”
Huo Guining nodded.
“Well…”
Huo Guining saw the eagerness in his eyes and took a step back, worried that Huo Yanqin might follow in Huo Xiaozheng’s footsteps.
“Uncle, what are you making? It smells good,” she said, abruptly changing the subject.
The light in Huo Yanqin’s eyes dimmed.
“I’m making noodles with gravy. Would you like some?”
Huo Guining nodded.
Considering her young age, Huo Yanqin only gave her a small bowl. While she was eating, he turned to heat up a cup of milk for her.
Zuo Qinfang had specifically instructed him to give her a cup of warm milk in the morning.
After microwaving it for a minute, Huo Yanqin carefully tested the temperature before bringing it over.
“Ning Ning, eat slowly, and have some warm milk…”
Huo Guining had already finished eating. She was holding her chopsticks, looking at him with lingering interest.
“Uncle, can I have another bowl of noodles?”
Seeing his cooking skills appreciated, Huo Yanqin beamed with joy. “Of course you can.”
By the time Zuo Qinfang came out, Huo Guining had already eaten three small bowls of noodles.
She hurriedly stopped Huo Yanqin from serving more.
“No more feeding her.”
Huo Guining obediently put down her chopsticks and placed her hands on her little tummy. “I’m full. I’ll go wake up brother.”
With that, she dashed off.
Zuo Qinfang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, giving her husband a reproachful pat.
Huo Guining went straight to Huo Yueze’s room and knocked loudly on his door. “Brother, wake up! You’ll be late for school!”
After last night’s discussion, Zuo Qinfang had decided to take Ning Ning to school with them.
Since Ning Ning was also at the age to start school, Zuo Qinfang planned to let her experience school life.
Thus, Huo Guining knocked with righteous fervor.
Huo Yueze opened the door with messy hair, scooped up Huo Guining, and started tickling her. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
Huo Guining giggled loudly.
While begging for mercy, she admonished him, “Hurry up, brother, or you’ll be late.”
Only then did Huo Yueze put her down and enter the bathroom.
In less than two minutes, he emerged fully dressed.
He saw Huo Guining brushing her long hair in front of the mirror.
He walked over, took her brush, and skillfully braided her hair into two small plaits. Then he rummaged in her bedroom and found a beret, which he securely fastened on her head.
“How’s that?”
Huo Yueze guided her to the full-length mirror.
Huo Guining’s eyes widened, “Brother, you’re amazing!”
Huo Yueze smirked, “Of course, there’s nothing your brother can’t do.”
When Zuo Qinfang saw her outfit, she echoed the praise, “Did Yueze do your hair? It looks lovely!”
Huo Guining nodded, “Brother is really great! Brother, did you used to have long hair?”
There was a moment of silence in the dining room. Huo Yueze said nonchalantly, “When I was little, I thought I was a girl. We often played house with friends, so I got good at it over time.”
Huo Guining pondered, “I see…”
Zuo Qinfang urged, “Yueze, hurry up. I have a class during the third period in the morning. Remember to pick up your sister from the office.”
While the adults weren’t looking, Huo Guining quickly swallowed a mouthful of noodles Huo Yueze passed to her, chewing secretly like a little hamster with her head down.
Huo Yueze switched back to his own chopsticks and raised his hand to shield the little hamster, “Got it, I won’t forget.”
Zuo Qinfang sighed deeply, “Yueze, stop feeding her. If you keep this up, she’ll get a stomachache.”
The two caught red-handed: …
Zuo Qinfang drove today, with Huo Guining and Huo Yueze sitting in the back.
“This is brother,” Huo Guining said, opening her drawings and introducing them one by one. “This is when brother was in the hospital, and this is from the day we played basketball.”
Huo Yueze pointed to one of them and asked, “What about this one?”
This picture depicted a young man standing in a massive doorframe, with darkness in the foreground and brilliant light behind him.
It was quite dramatic.
But it was also one of Huo Guining’s rare, more positive drawings.
Huo Guining smiled a bit shyly.
“This is the scene from the day brother came to rescue me.”
Huo Guining’s drawing had decent lines, but the details were a bit childish.
Huo Yueze didn’t hold back his praise, “It’s really well done! Is Ning Ning saying that brother is a hero?”
Huo Guining smiled, “To me, brother is a hero.”
Huo Yueze grinned broadly, “Mom, did you hear that?”
Zuo Qinfang smiled, glancing at the two of them in the rearview mirror, “I heard, my big hero!”
After arriving at school, Zuo Qinfang initially wanted to take Ning Ning to the teachers’ office, but Huo Yueze objected.
“Your office is too far away, and some teachers even smoke in there secretly. It’s better if Ning Ning stays with me.”
Zuo Qinfang frowned, “You have classes. What will Ning Ning do with you?”
Huo Yueze shrugged, “I’m already set to advance to the high school division anyway, so it doesn’t matter if I miss class.”
“But Ning Ning can’t just wander around the school with you, can she?”
“I’ll take Ning Ning to experience a kindergarten class.”
This actually aligned with Zuo Qinfang’s original plan.
“Alright then, I’ll let your homeroom teacher know,” Zuo Qinfang said, picking up her phone. “Take good care of your sister, okay? Don’t let her get hurt.”
Huo Yueze waved his hand, signaling her not to worry.
The school’s tree-lined path was expansive, with huge plane trees planted on both sides. In the cold winter, only lonely branches remained.
Huo Yueze held Huo Guining’s hand as they strolled towards the kindergarten.
“Brother, do you know something?” Huo Guining asked hesitantly.